Twist of Fate
by Yuuki Miyaka
Summary: Methos is in love, but with a mortal. Does he have the heart to truly break it off?


Disclaimer:  
All copyright characters belong to their owners. Unfortunately, none of those owners are me.  
  
Dedication:  
This story is dedicated to Christopher.  
  
Highlander:  
Twist of Fate  
  
Miya smiled up at Adam, happy that the date had gone so well. She really was falling in love with him, and she couldn't help it. Something about him just made her very happy.  
  
They had been dating for about two years now, and she desperately wanted something to happen soon. It had taken a month to find out that he seemed a lot more mature than his age, and that he was interested in ancient history. He was always so cynical, and yet he could be so gentle and kind.  
  
It was a mystery to her why he was the way he was. Perhaps he had been hurt years ago, and had never really gotten over it. Whatever the reason, she was anxious to hear what he had to say tonight. He had called her up and asked her to meet him because they had something important to discuss. She was sure that he was going to ask her to marry him, so she had dressed her best. It would be wonderful, she just knew.  
  
Dinner had gone well, but nothing had been mentioned of the important subject, and by the time the movie was over, she was getting a little keyed up. She forced herself to remain calm, knowing that he would talk when he was ready.  
  
And as they were walking back to her house in the brisk autumn night, he began to talk.  
  
"Miya, about the reason I called you. You know that we've been dating for a while now. I really like you a lot. I guess that's why I can't go on this way. It's not fair to either of us."  
  
Miya nodded, grinning happily. But her grin faded as she saw the expression in his eyes, and before he could say the words, she said them for him. "You want out, don't you? You want to break up with me." They tore her apart, but she said them anyway, and eventually, he nodded. "I . . . see. I'm sorry I was such a burden for so long." Her voice was harsh with the tears she wouldn't shed, and she turned away from him abruptly. "You don't have to see me home. I'll find my own way, thank you."  
  
Without looking where she was going, she headed away from him, straight into the street. She didn't get farther than five steps before a car hit her, ramming into her side with jarring force. She had no clue what had happened, but instead only knew that she was in terrible pain, and it was not only coming from her heart. She felt her legs give way, and then she blacked out.  
  
***  
  
"Miya's hurt, Duncan." Adam stood at his friend's door, a wan expression on his face. His simple words came out husky and broken. Duncan quickly ushered the fellow immortal inside. He didn't bother to ask before going to refrigerator to get Adam a cold beer.   
  
"What do you mean?" Duncan's question broke something within Adam, and Adam began telling Duncan his story.  
  
"You remember, I introduced you to Miya at Joe's the other night. After that, things got much more serious. Duncan, she's someone I'd like to grow old with."  
  
Duncan nodded patiently, knowing that Adam would come to the point in his own time.  
  
"I'm an immortal, Duncan. I *can't* grow old with her, even if I wanted to." Adam raked his hands through his hair, then gulped a mouthful of beer. "She deserves someone who can grow old with her, who can give her love and comfort, *not* history lessons.   
  
"I broke it off with her when I realized. She was very upset with me." His eyes closed for a long moment, and when they opened again, he wore a bleak expression. "She ran off into the street before I could stop her and she was hit." A gasp of air sucked in through thinned lips told Duncan just how much pain his friend was in. The younger immortal watched Adam carefully, unsure of what to say. Finally, Adam continued.  
  
"She was taken to St. Francis and put in ICU. She's critical, but they're confidant she can pull through if she just makes it through this week." At this pronouncement, Adam stood, pacing the length of the room. "They won't even let me see her!"  
  
Duncan stopped Adam with a hand on his shoulder. "Amanda's in town. Between all of us, we should easily have a 'round-the-clock watch to make sure she's okay. Sound good?" Duncan's solution relieved Adam, and that relief made itself apparent in the sudden slacking of Adam's posture. Duncan smiled, glad to have been able to help, then had another thought. "I'll call Joe, also, Adam. He would probably be happy to help."  
  
***  
  
The week passed slowly and with no complications on Miya's side. Adam, though, came to realize a great deal with the help of Amanda, Duncan, and Joe. Something kept Adam at the hospital, something that seemed to remind him of Alexis. She had died over three years ago, and he had come to terms with that, thankful that he had been there at the end. He could do no less for Miya, whom he loved more completely. His pain-filled gaze scared away many nurses who came to ask him to leave, and he was left alone in the waiting room when all the visitors had gone. Finally, one nurse, a battleax with a heart of gold, took pity on him, shoving him into one of the unused private rooms to sleep each night. She made sure that the sheets were cleaned the next morning, and that he had vacated the room before anyone would notice. And he loved her for it.  
  
At Adam's request, Joe brought flowers for the battleax one afternoon, giving them to Adam surreptitiously. When the nurse came to march him into bed that evening, her round face gleaming with self-righteous annoyance, he pulled out the flowers. The arrangement had kept well, showing no signs of having been in the hospital since five that afternoon. "Madam," Adam said, affecting a chivalric attitude. "You have been more than wonderful to me, and it occurred to me just this morning that I had been remiss in my appreciation. I hope you will accept these and my introduction as a gesture thereof. I'm Adam Pearson." He bowed jauntily, seemingly in good humor. For her part, the nurse hoped so. He was a nice person.  
  
"My goodness. I don't know what I did to deserve this. I'm only doing my job keeping you in good health. I'm Wilma Hill. Now, come on. We need to get you to bed. I know which girl you're keeping an eye on, and I'll wake you if anything changes." He allowed himself to be led from the waiting room with a rather happy air about him. It had helped to give the flowers to Nurse Hill. He was getting better able to function again, and that was a good thing. Maybe he would be able to tell Miya how he felt when she finally awoke, no matter how terrified he would be.  
  
Duncan approached him the next morning, the same thoughts in his head. "Adam, what are you going to tell Miya when she wakes?"   
  
The question surprised Adam, who shrugged self-consciously. "The truth, Duncan. All of it. About the immortals and about my feelings. What else can I tell her?" Duncan nodded thoughtfully, then smiled. Adam felt grateful that his friend understood how he was feeling. It had been a long time since he had felt this strongly about anyone, years and years since he had pursued a relationship so thoroughly. Now, all he had to do was wait. And he didn't even have to wait much longer.  
  
***  
  
Miya awoke to white walls and a antiseptic smell. She was in a hospital, and there was a dull ache in her side. She guessed that her ribs and arms were the things most hurting. A shake of her head brought on a pounding headache, and when she tried to sit up, the room swirled around her before dimming. She fell back onto the bed with a loud thump, and something in the corner of the room moved. She didn't want to look over there, because moving her head meant a blinding pain and a nauseating feeling in her stomach. She just wanted to go back to sleep until she finally recovered.  
  
A slender soft hand smoothed her hair back, soothing her gently, and she looked up to find a woman's face looking back at her. "Do I know you?" Her words were husky and soft as her throat tried to remember how to make the sounds. The woman smiled.  
  
"I'm a friend of Adam's. We're taking turns watching you, so that you won't be alone when you wake up." For the moment, Miya couldn't remember why she wanted to hate Adam, she only knew that she did. But this gesture deflated her anger, and she smiled in spite of herself. The woman continued. "My name's Amanda. I also know Joe and Duncan, if that helps." Amanda grinned, and Miya noticed something jaunty about her, almost roguish. "Let me just go get Adam. He's out in the waiting room taking a short nap."  
  
Amanda left quickly, returning in a minute with Adam before leaving again. Miya gazed up at Adam for a long moment before fully recalling what had happened to her. "A car hit me, didn't it?" Her question seemed silly to her, but Adam answered it with complete gravity.  
  
"Yes, actually. Do you remember anything else?" He waited as she thought a moment then asked what type of car it had been. "I think it was a Mazda Miata. They weren't going too fast, thankfully."  
  
"Oh." Miya thought about that for a moment, then remembered further back. "You broke up with me, didn't you?" Adam nodded sadly, and Miya turned away. "I don't think I want to see you again, Adam. Should be good news for you, shouldn't it?"  
  
She heard Adam shuffle awkwardly, then clear his throat, and she knew that he was not going to leave. "Fine. Say what you came to say and then leave. Will that work?"  
  
She could feel his nod, and then the room died into total silence. It took him some time to come up with the courage to begin. "Miya, I know that I hurt you badly, but that was not my intention. I wanted to protect you." He waited, expecting her to round on him with anger, but she didn't, preferring to just let him speak his piece and then leave. And finally, he continued. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but that's not possible. You see, I'm immortal. Oh, I can die, but only if you take my head. I don't even remember how old I am. I've been alive for thousands of years. I never expected to meet anyone like you."  
  
He trailed off for a moment, and she could tell he was thinking. "I know that you deserve someone much better than me, someone who can grow old with you, who can give you children. I wanted to spare you pain, but obviously I can't. Will you ever consider giving me another chance?" His voice died into the stillness that made up the room, and she winced softly.  
  
"I need to think, Adam. Is that even your name?" she asked as a thought struck her. She heard a sheepish chuckle.  
  
"No. My name is Methos actually. But I go by Adam when I'm among normal humans. It generally helps them accept me more easily."  
  
"Well, Methos," she repeated, trying out the name. "I need to think. I need some time. Can you go for a walk or something?" There was a pause as Adam accepted her decision. Finally, she heard steps leaving the room, and she listened to the click as the door closed.   
  
Something within her told her that the machines grouped around her were there for an important reason, to keep her alive, and she lay very still while she thought.  
  
He loved her, he wanted her with him. He didn't want to break up with her. He wanted to stay with her forever. Or did he? He had made up some strange story about how he lived forever to justify leaving her, and it didn't work. It couldn't work. She wouldn't allow him to make a fool of her that way. She looked down at herself, noting that she was filled with wires and tubes, and that most of them were dripping liquid into her system or air into her lungs. And she made a decision. It was a simple decision, hinging on the fact that Adam had never once told her that he loved her. With a final angry thought, she reached up to her face, pulling out the tubes and wires. One by one they came out of her, each one giving her a sharp pain. And then she couldn't breathe and she could only feel pain. Her lungs very quickly began to feel as though they would burst. The nurses weren't coming, and that was a good thing. Another minute, and she would be gone, and they wouldn't be able to do anything.  
  
***  
  
The nurses heard two warning calls, but were shorthanded due to an illness earlier today. As it stood, they could only deal with one call at a time, and they chose the door closest. It was five minutes before Miya got their attention, and by then, it was too late. Nurse Hill took it on herself to tell Adam the bad news. He didn't rage at her, as she had expected him to, but instead nodded grimly. He had the air of someone who had seen many people die. He touched her face gently, letting her know that it wasn't her fault, then walked out of the hospital, and Nurse Hill didn't see him again. For the rest of her life, she wasn't sure if she even wanted to.  
  
-Miyaka  
  
Author's Notes:  
I don't know how close to the actual series this gets. It's been a while since I've seen an episode with Methos in it. :( But somehow this came to me in a dream, and I thought I would write it down. C&C would be welcomed and appreciated. This is only a rough draft, and I'm also not sure how accurate the medical part is, even though I spent about a year of my life in a hospital. Please give me credit on that for using literary license. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!!!!  



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